Epidemiology of Barrett's Esophagus: A Population Based Study

Epidemiology of Barrett's Esophagus: A Population Based Study

To assess attitudes toward screening for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and Barrett's esophagus (BE) in the community.

To develop a population based clinical risk factor prediction model for the diagnosis of BE and identify novel risk factors for BE which would make population based screening more efficient. This will be an important first step in identifying the target population for BE screening, another crucial component of making screening feasible and efficient

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Case: Olmsted county residents > 18 years old from the barrett's esophagus (BE) incidence cohort who are still alive at the time of study.
2. Control # 1 : Olmsted county residents > 18 years old that responded to a recent community based survey and reported gastroesophageal reflux (GER) symptoms at least once a week and without a known diagnosis of BE.
3. Control # 2 : Olmsted county residents > 18 years old that responded to a recent community based survey that did not report any GER symptoms and without a known diagnosis of BE.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Cases: BE subjects who

   1. Have died prior to the start of this study;
   2. Refuse to participate;

2. Controls: respondents to the "constipation survey" who

   1. Are known to have BE;
   2. Have died prior to the start of this study;
   3. Refuse to participate; -